As the minister of Ulster County’s Rochester, Wawarsing and Clove classis of the Dutch Reformed Church from 1814 to 1826, Dr. James Murphy was a popular, influential religious leader. Successful in attracting large, devoted congregations, he was respected for his scholarship and later published a book titled The Bible and Geology. After he died at age 69 in 1857, Murphy was listed and eulogized in the commemorative volumes profiling eminent men published by the Dutch Reformed Church.